Bradeen, the ‘Flag Lady’ of Rosewood

July 2, 2013

When Alice Bradeen made an American flag, it really pleased her. It pleased her so much she made another and another and another

Thirteen flags later - the same number of stars on the first American flag - Alice has assembled quite a collection of flags she's made over the past year, using a plastic web weaving method.

It started when Alice asked for a flag book and received three pages of different flags from the Internet. Then she set out to work, choosing her favorite flags from the selection, and finally coming up with the 13.

Article Photos

Alice Bradeen is holding a North Carolina militia flag flown at the Battle of Guilford March 15, 1781.The other flags, top row, left to right, are: Betsy Ross flag with 13 stars, the British Union flag proclaimed by King James in 1606 and used until 1801, the John Paul Jones flag which was also called the Serapis Flag, the Grand Union or Cambridge flag flown over Prospect Hill overlooking Boston Jan. 1, 1776.Middle row, left to right: Grand Star flag of 1818, the second flag to fly over the US from 1795-1818 and the first to cross the country with the Lewis and Clark expedition and which inspired the Star Spangled Banner, the third US flag carried in the Battle Bennington Aug. 16, 1777 and the 13-star flag.Bottom row: the first Confederate national flag first raised March 4, 1861, the Confederal battle flag of 1861, the Battle Bull Run 1861 flag which was also called the Southern Cross and The Grand Flag.

It shouldn't have come as any surprise, though. Alice has always had an interest in flags. She took a photo of the flags at the Emmet County courthouse a couple Memorial Days ago and made 300 pins - handing out every last one.